A Sandwich a Day: Fishwich at Macellato, San Francisco

In this great country of ours, one could eat a different sandwich every day of the year—so that's what we'll do. Here's A Sandwich a Day, our daily look at sandwiches around the country. Got a sandwich we should check out? Let us know.—The Mgmt.

[Photograph: Carrie Vasios]

Before my nine-year-old self decided to stop eating at McDonald's because I heard they cut down the rain forest to let their cattle graze, my Mickey D's order of choice was the Filet-O-Fish. This always came as a surprise to my family, but I was a strange child with an even stranger aversion to hamburgers.

Fast forward a few decades and I found myself standing at Macellato, a tiny New Orleans-inspired sandwich shop that stands on the stretch of Columbus where North Beach and the Financial District very suddenly meet. Macellato has an extremely small menu—basically you can choose between the fried chicken or fried fish sandwich. Much to my surprise (despite my own childhood leanings) the guy behind the counter recommended the Fishwich ($8).

One bite and I could tell that this isn't a fishwich exclusively for past and present fish sandwich aficionados—it is simply a well executed sandwich. The fish (Pacific Red Snapper on that day) is fried to order and comes out piping hot in a extra thin, crispy shell. A layer of coleslaw that includes shredded carrots, scallions, and red onion adds brightness and crunch. The fish itself is tender, moist, and flaky.

In my mind, two things are crucial to this sandwich: One is to add some of the Louisiana hot sauce that's set out on the tables, and the second is to eat the sandwich immediately. This is a fried sandwich, and the soft roll will soak up the grease if you don't get after it. Luckily, when presented with the hot fried crispy goodness of the fish, I don't think that should be a problem.